KUALA LUMPUR – A controversy during the Qosanov Memorial Athletics Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has stirred debates among runners after three athletes were found to have false-started, yet were allowed to continue racing by the organisers under questionable decisions.
In athletics, a false start is a clear violation of the rules as it gives the runner an unfair advantage over their competitors.
A false start occurs when a runner begins to move or leaves the starting blocks before the official starting signal – usually a fired gun or electronic tone – is given.
According to World Athletics rules, an athlete with a false start is immediately disqualified from the race to discourage attempts to anticipate the start signal.
The drama unfolded in the final of the men’s 100m as Malaysia’s sensational sprinter, Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, raced to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Azeem started his campaign strongly, clocking 10.28sec in the morning heats.
However, his performance slightly dipped to 10.61sec in the semi-finals, but it was sufficient to secure his spot in the final.
The final race became gripping when Kayhan Ozer of Turkey false-started, yet the race continued under protest.
Shortly after, Tajikistan’s Favouriz Muzrapov in lane two also false-started but was allowed to proceed – again amid protests.
Tensions peaked as another false start disrupted the runners, this time by Turkiye’s Erkan Ozkan.
After three false starts, the race finally began, with Thailand’s Puripol Boonson surging from behind to clinch victory in 10.23sec.
Ozer, initially penalised for false-starting, finished second, while Azeem settled for third place.
However, the official results are pending confirmation due to protests against Ozer and the two other runners.
Azeem must now wait until the Olympic qualification deadline on June 30 to determine whether his world ranking is sufficient to qualify for the Paris Olympics or if he will need a wild card entry.
Another national representative chasing qualification for the Paris Olympic Games, Shereen Samson Vallabouy, faced disappointment despite clinching victory in the women’s 400m.
Starting from lane five in the final, Shereen dominated the race from the outset with a time of 52.60sec.
This performance was significantly slower than her national record set at the Music City Track Carnival in Tennessee three weeks ago, where she ran 51.80sec.
Additionally, in last week’s Malaysian Open, Shereen clocked a better time of 52.45sec than her performance in Almaty.
This result might complicate Shereen’s chances of qualifying through world rankings, as she currently holds the 66th position in the world, and she needs to be at least 48th to qualify for Paris. – June 22, 2024